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The Loco-Motion
Locomotion}} "The Loco-Motion" is a 1962 pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. "The Loco-Motion" was originally written for Dee Dee Sharp, but Sharp turned the song down. The song is notable for appearing in the American Top 5 three times, each time in a different decade: in 1962 by the American pop singer Little Eva (U.S. No. 1);Little Eva, "The Loco-Motion" Chart Positions Retrieved March 21, 2015 in 1974 by the American band Grand Funk Railroad (U.S. No. 1);Grand Funk Railroad, "The Loco-Motion" Chart Positions Retrieved March 21, 2015 and finally in 1988 by the Australian singer Kylie Minogue (U.S. No. 3). The song is a popular and enduring example of the dance-song genre: much of the lyrics are devoted to a description of the dance itself, usually performed as a type of line dance. However, the song came before the dance. "The Loco-Motion" was also the second song to reach No. 1 by two different musical acts. The earlier song to do this was "Go Away Little Girl", also written by Goffin and King. It is one of only nine songs to achieve this feat.Billboard Hot 100 Chart 50th Anniversary Little Eva version Background King and Goffin wrote "The Loco-Motion" in hopes to have it recorded by Dee Dee Sharp, who had a smash hit with "Mashed Potato Time". Sharp passed on the song leaving the opportunity open for Eva Boyd, who had recorded the demo. Boyd's version was released, and her name was changed to Little Eva. Boyd was actually Carole King's babysitter, having been introduced to King and King's husband Gerry Goffin by The Cookies, a local girl group who would also record for the songwriters. "The Loco-Motion" was the first release by the new Dimension Records company, whose releases were mostly penned and produced by Goffin and King. There are two common versions of the song in circulation: one includes handclaps during the verses; the other has no handclaps. King performed the backup vocals in the recording. Reception In the United States, "The Loco-Motion" was the sixth most successful single of 1962, according to Billboard. It was also the third most successful single of 1962 in South Africa.Song title 46 - The Loco-Motion In March 1965, Little Eva sang the song on the ABC-TV series Shindig!, and this is the only known video of her singing this song. A cover version of the song was recorded quickly by British girl group The Vernons Girls and scored the chart the same week as the Little Eva version. The Vernons Girls' version stalled at No. 47 in the UK, while the Little Eva version reached No. 2 on the UK charts. It re-entered the chart some 10 years later and almost became a top 10 again, peaking at No. 11. The Little Eva version of the song was later featured in the David Lynch film Inland Empire (2006). "The Loco-Motion" is ranked No. 359 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". "The Loco-Motion" Myth The widely believed story of how the song "The Loco-Motion" came to be is that Carole King was playing music at home and Eva Boyd was doing some chores and started dancing to it; the dance The Loco-Motion was born. However, this is not true. Eva Boyd was introduced to Goffin and King and they realized she had a good singing voice, so they had her record "The Loco-Motion". Carole King stated this during an interview on National Public Radio (NPR) shortly after Little Eva died. As the song came before the dance, there was no dance when the song was originally written. When the song became a smash hit, Eva Boyd ended up having to create a dance to go along with the song. Carole King stated this in her "One to One" concert video. In live performances of the song, Little Eva can be seen doing her version of the dance. Another bit of the conventional lore is that she had received only $50 for "The Loco-Motion". However, although she never owned the rights to her recordings, it seems $50 was actually her weekly salary during the years she was making records (an increase of $15 from what Goffin and King had been paying her as nanny). In 1971, she moved to South Carolina and lived in obscurity on menial jobs and welfare until being rediscovered in 1987. She died of cervical cancer in 2003. Top-40 DJ Dan Ingram has been quoted as saying that he believes the original "The Loco-Motion" was recorded by Carole King herself. Producer Pete Waterman has also stated he believes it is King singing on the recording.BBC Radio 4 Desert island Discs, 1995 King can be clearly heard among the backing singers on the Little Eva recording. Chart performance Weekly charts Year-end charts Sylvie Vartan version (in French) }} }} In 1962, the French singer Sylvie Vartan recorded a cover of "The Loco-Motion" in French, called "Le Loco-motion". Vartan's version went to number 1 in France on October 13, 1962 and remained there for one week.InfoDisc : Tout les Titres N° 1 des 60's Track listing 7" EP "Le Loco-motion / Aussi loin que j'irai / Oui c'est lui / Comme l'été dernier" RCA Victor 76.593, 86.593 (1962, France) :A1. "Le Loco-motion" ("The Loco-Motion") :A2. "Oui c'est lui" ("He Is the Boy") :B1. "Comme l'été dernier" ("Dancing Party") :B2. "Aussi loin que j'irai" Charts Grand Funk Railroad version Background American rock band Grand Funk Railroad recorded a cover version of the song in 1974, produced by Todd Rundgren. The decision to play the song came about after guitarist Mark Farner was heard whistling the song in the studio. The Grand Funk version of the song featured guitars, several layers of harmony, and heavy drums. Some radio stations replaced the guitar instrumental section with the repeat of the bridge instead ("You got to sway your hips now"), because the disc jockeys strongly believed the static guitar solo was too experimental hard rock for airplay on commercial radio station. During the 2000s, this version of the song was featured in advertisements for the Japanese technology and communications company SoftBank, featuring the pop group SMAP. SMAP also used the song on their television variety show SMAP×SMAP for a music video, singing along to the original Grand Funk recording rather than covering it. The song is downloadable content for Rock Band 3. Reception "The Loco-Motion" appeared on Grand Funk Railroad's album Shinin' On and was released as a single in May 1974. It charted at No. 1 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, reached number 5 in Australia, peaked at number 1 in Canada, and reached number 11 in Germany. Chart performance Weekly charts Year-end charts Carole King version Carole King also recorded a version of "The Loco-Motion" for her 1980 studio album Pearls: Songs of Goffin and King. The album peaked at No. 44 and spawned King's last top 40 hit to-date, "One Fine Day", which would reach No. 12 on the charts. King also sings the "Loco-Motion" on her live album The Living Room Tour, released July 12, 2005. The album peaked at No. 17 on the US album chart on July 30, 2005.artist=carole king|chart=all}} Discography - Carole King Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin version In May 1986, Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin released a cover version of the song as a single. The duo had scored a UK No. 1 hit back in 1981 with their cover of "It's My Party" but had achieved little success since. For this 1986 single, they embarked on a big promotional push in an attempt to gain a second significant hit. The single, however, stalled at No. 70 in the UK charts in June.Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin - UK singles chart Kylie Minogue version 1988 version: "I'll Still Be Loving You" | Released = (Australia) | Format = | Recorded = 1987; Platinum Studios, Melbourne 1988; PWL Studios, London | Genre = Dance-pop | Length = | Label = * PWL * Geffen * CBS * Teldec }} | Writer = | Producer = |Stock Aitken Waterman }} | This single = "Locomotion" (1987) | Next single = "I Should Be So Lucky" (1987) | Misc = (1988) | Next single = "Je ne sais pas pourquoi" (1988) }} }} }} Background Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue released a cover version of the song in July 1987, as her debut single under the title "Locomotion". After an impromptu performance of the song at an Australian rules football charity event with the cast of the Australian soap opera Neighbours, Minogue signed a record deal with Mushroom Records to release the song as a single. This first recorded version was released on July 13, 1987 in Australia, and was later released the same year in New Zealand, Italy, and Sweden. The success of the song in her home country resulted in Minogue's signing a record deal with PWL Records in London and to working with the successful team Stock Aitken & Waterman. - Kylie.com - Accessed November 22, 2008 On July 28, 1988, a re-recorded version produced by Stock Aitken & Waterman was released worldwide with the title "The Loco-Motion". This release, also major success, reached the top five in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Minogue's version of the track, which appeared in the 1988 film Arthur 2: On the Rocks, starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, substitutes the Australian term railway for the American term railroad in the song's lyrics. Reception The 1987 "Locomotion" release was a huge hit in Minogue's native Australia, reaching No. 1 on the Kent Music Report singles chart and remaining there for seven weeks. The 1988 release of the song in the United Kingdom debuted at No. 2 on the singles chart—the highest entry on the UK singles charts by a female artist—due to strong 7" single sales and radio airplay. It remained in the number two position for four weeks before falling to number three. With sales of 440,000 it was the 11th best selling single of the year.Kylie - The Biography, Sean Smith The song became Minogue's third top five rated single in the UK and remains one of her most successful single releases to date. Throughout Europe and Asia the song also performed well on the music charts, reaching number one in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, and South Africa. During late 1988, Minogue traveled to the United States to promote "The Loco-Motion", where she did many interviews and performances on American television. The song was used in the hit film Arthur 2: On the Rocks starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. "The Loco-Motion" debuted at No. 80 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and later climbed to No. 3 for two weeks. The song was Minogue's second single to chart in the U.S., but her first to reach the top ten. To this day, the song remains as her highest charting single in the United States; however, her second overall and most recent song to reach the top ten was 2002's "Can't Get You Out of My Head", which reached No. 7 on the chart, and ended up outselling "The Loco-Motion". In Canada, the song also reached the top spot in the pop sales charts. In 2012, during her K25 anniversary, the song re-entered the Japanese Singles Chart at No. 83.Kylie Minogue Chart Positions Retrieved March 21, 2015 Music video The music video for "Locomotion" was filmed at Essendon Airport and the ABC studios in Melbourne, Australia. The video for "The Loco-Motion" was created out of footage from the Australian music video. Near the end of 1988, the song was nominated for Best International Single at the Canadian Music Industry Awards. Formats and track listings These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "The Loco-motion". "The Loco-motion" (1988) ;● UK 7" vinyl single # "The Loco-motion" (7" mix) — 3:17 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45 ;● UK 12" vinyl single # "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) — 5:59 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45 ;● UK 12" remix # "The Loco-motion" (Sankie Mix) — 6:35 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45 ;● USA 7" vinyl single/Cassingle # "The Loco-motion" (LP version) — 3:17 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45 ;● USA 12" vinyl single # "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) — 5:59 # "The Loco-motion" (Sankie Mix) — 6:35 # "The Loco-motion" (LP version) — 3:17 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45 ;● German CD single # "The Loco-motion" (Kohaku Mix) — 5:59 # "I'll Still Be Loving You" — 3:45 iTunes digital release (2009) ;●"Locomotion" (Australian version) # "Locomotion" # "Locomotion" (Chugga-Motion Mix) # "Locomotion" (The Girl Meets Boy Mix) # "Getting Closer" # "Getting Closer" (UK mix) (previously unreleased) # "Getting Closer" (UK instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "Getting Closer" (Extended Oz Mix) # "Getting Closer" (Extended Oz Instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "Glad to Be Alive" ;● "The Loco-Motion" # "The Loco-Motion" (7" mix) # "The Loco-Motion" (The Kohaku Mix) # "The Loco-Motion" (7" instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "The Loco-Motion" (7" backing track) (previously unreleased) # "I'll Still Be Loving You" # "I'll Still Be Loving You" (instrumental) (previously unreleased) # "I'll Still Be Loving You" (backing track) (previously unreleased) Live performances Minogue performed the song on the following concert tours: * Disco in Dream/The Hitman Roadshow (Kohaku Mix performed) * Enjoy Yourself Tour (French Kiss Mix performed) * Rhythm of Love Tour * Let's Get to It Tour * Intimate and Live Tour (performed at some shows only) * KylieFever2002 * Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour * Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour * KylieX2008 (performed as an impromptu a cappella encore at some shows only) * For You, for Me * Aphrodite World Tour (as an a cappella or with instrumentation at several dates) The song was also performed on: * An Audience with Kylie 2001 TV special (a cappella) * Closing ceremony of the 20th Commonwealth Games, Glasgow on 2 August 2014 at Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland She performed The Abbey Road Sessions version of the song on: * BBC Proms in the Park 2012 * Dancing with the Stars * The Tonight Show with Jay Leno * Strictly Come Dancing * Kiss Me Once Tour * Kylie Summer 2015 Tour Chart performance Weekly charts Certifications }} Year-end charts Other versions * Shelley Fabares recorded the song for her second album, The Things We Did Last Summer (1962). * Madelein Chartrand covered a French version titled "Ca sonne ca sonne Tony" (1974). * The fifth-season episode of The Cosby Show, "How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall" (1988), features Clair, Sondra and Vanessa Huxtable performing a version of this song. *La Toya Jackson recorded and performed the song in 1992 as part of her Moulin Rouge show Formidable. It was the only song in the show sung in English; the rest of the show features numbers entirely in French. Jackson also performed the song as part of her live sets throughout the early to mid 1990s. *In 1983, Mike Love of The Beach Boys covered the song on his and Dean Torrence's album'' Rock 'N' Roll City. *The Kidsongs Kids in 1994 perform this song on their DVD ''Boppin' with the Biggles. *Atomic Kitten recorded the song for the soundtrack of the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000). Thomas and the Magic Railroad Gullane Pictures, dir. Britt Allcroft, 2000. *Orange Range used the melody line of "The Loco-Motion" on their song "Locolotion" (2004), which became the number-one success on the Japanese singles chart. The commercially successful song engendered controversy because Goffin and King were not indicated on its songwriting credit; their names were later added as co-writers to avoid lawsuits when the song was featured on the band's musiQ album, released during the same year. References External links * Kylie Minogue's official website * Category:1962 songs Category:1962 singles Category:1974 singles Category:1987 singles Category:1988 singles Category:ARIA Award-winning songs Category:Songs with lyrics by Gerry Goffin Category:Songs written by Carole King Category:Little Eva songs Category:Sylvie Vartan songs Category:Dave Stewart (keyboardist) songs Category:Grand Funk Railroad songs Category:Kylie Minogue songs Category:Carole King songs Category:La Toya Jackson songs Category:Shelley Fabares songs Category:Električni Orgazam songs Category:Ringo Starr songs Category:Alexia (Italian singer) songs Category:Atomic Kitten songs Category:Orange Range songs Category:Song recordings produced by Gerry Goffin Category:Song recordings produced by Todd Rundgren Category:Song recordings produced by Stock Aitken Waterman Category:Number-one singles in Australia Category:Number-one dance singles in Canada Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in France Category:Dimension Records singles Category:Capitol Records singles Category:RCA Victor singles Category:Mushroom Records singles Category:Geffen Records singles Category:CBS Records singles Category:Pete Waterman Entertainment singles Category:Songs about trains Category:Debut singles Category:Songs about dancing Category:Novelty and fad dances